Off to the BioDome!
by DisneyMinnie
Summary: "End a Rooney" as taken from Val's POV. Val and Parker are off to the Mars BioDome but what happens when the plans change and they have to leave in a week, rather than a whole summer? Will they finally confess their feelings to each other? What happens in Bolivia? ParkerXVal. Pal.
1. Chapter 1: The News

_Hey everybody! I'm back with another "based on an episode" story! I've been holding back on this one because it breaks my heart that this may be the last Pal story I write (though I admit that I still have the third part of my Valentine's Day story to write, that's beside the point). I also didn't want the series to end because I want to see Maddie go to New Orleans, I want to see Liv make it on Broadway, I want to see Joey go on tour, and more importantly, I want to see Parker and Val go to Bolivia and become official! I guess that's what fanfiction is for, anyways. I always have fanfiction to keep me occupied on what happens from there. It's amazing how other authors come up with such amazing ideas that I wouldn't have thought of._

 _I admit that I've been slacking off on this story because I've just been too busy. I am in my third week of my Junior year in college and things are so hectic, I'm not sure when I have time to write and publish my stories. I will try to write as much as I can, as well as write longer chapters, but I cannot make any guarentees._

 _I just want to say that I don't own anything. Everything that happens in this chapter comes straight from "End a Rooney" so all the dialogue and characters belong to John D Beck and Disney Channel. I'm just...putting that out there._

* * *

 **Chapter 1: The News**

I can't believe that we won Mars Madness and are going to the Mars BioDome next week! I can't believe that I'll spend one whole school year with Parker by my side. I guess some dreams do come true.

I couldn't hold my excitement as I sprinted into the Chemistry Lab, where I knew Parker would be. Sure enough, he was. "Parker!" I yelled. "Did you hear the news?"

"That we're going to best looking couple in the BioDome?"

"Couple?" Did he really mean it? I mean, sure, he called us that in my dreams but in real life?

"Team! I mean team!" Parker averted eye contact and shouted in frustration at the 'mistake' he just said. "Uh. So, what's the news?" He crossed his arms. Oh yeah, I came into the lab to tell him something.

"We're going to the BioDome next week!"

"What? No, it's for the school year. We're not supposed to go until the end of the summer."

"No, that changed because they moved the BioDome from LA to the salt flats of Salar de Uyuni, Bolivia!" _(Yes, that's how you spell it. I looked it up)_

"Salar salt de fludi, what now?" He really didn't understand what I was saying. I gave out a huge sigh.

"We're being groomed to be astronauts for a future Mars mission. Read your emails, dude!" Parker jumped back a little and I felt a little guilty for scaring him. He looked down and looked worried. He dug one of his hands in his pocket while his other hand laid on a nearby table. "Are you okay?" I wanted to make sure he was okay. I didn't want my BioDome partner to not be okay.

"Never better, baby." He said all smooth then quickly caught himself. "I mean Val! I.. I don't know what I mean!" Then he ran out of the lab.

"Boys are weird." I guess he didn't notice the fact I was wearing a skirt. Boys can be so oblivious sometimes.

I've been dressing more girly now, but keeping my original style at the same time. Violet said that if I did dress more girly, I would impress Parker more but putting on a dress, heels, and make up seemed too much for me at once so we compromised with skirts. I've also been curling my hair a little bit to give it a little flair. I don't think Parker has noticed yet. I think all he thinks about is going to the Mars BioDome. Yeah, boys can be so oblivious sometimes.

* * *

 _So I'm just going to leave it right there for now. I'm still writing this story so I'm not sure how many chapters it will be. Until next time!_


	2. Chapter 2: Better Than Stereo

_This chapter made me tear up a bit because this is the last of the actual episode. Half came from the episode and half came from my imagination of what happened next._

 _I honestly thought that everyone looked good in the "Summer of Rooney" camp shirts. The yellow and orange colors go nicely with everyone. Can I get one?_

* * *

 **Chapter 2: Better Than Stereo**

Since Parker and I were leaving for the BioDome next week, he had invited me for what his mom called "Summer of Rooney" but instead of taking place during the summer, they had one night because everyone else was leaving to go somewhere else the next day. Parker and I were leaving for Bolivia in a week. Maddie was leaving for New Orleans to build tiny houses (thanks to me and Willow). Liv was leaving for New York to star on Broadway. Joey was going on tour to do stand-up comedy in a week. They were all chasing their dreams and none of them were spending it in LA.

We were all to meet at the beach, wearing Mrs Rooney's custom-made "Summer of Rooney" shirts. It's not like I don't mind. I really don't. I never really went to a summer camp before and spending the night with the people closest to me truly made our last night in LA special.

The night ended with a bonfire. We were all seated around it with Parker to my left and his Aunt Dena to my right. Mrs Rooney decided to end with everyone spilling their secrets. I learned quite a bit. I learned Mrs Rooney's secret job, Willow and Diggie's real name, Ruby wants a boyfriend, Dena doesn't like yoga, Joey's secret obsession, and Liv's secret penpal. The only thing I really wanted to learn was Parker's middle name. I had always wanted to know it.

Maddie announced that Liv had "thoroughly ruined" the game. She suggested that she sing while Diggie played along with the guitar. I recognized the tune to the theme song to a show I now watch. It's called "Bits and Pieces." It's a binge-worthy show. We all listened as Liv sang.

 _I'm up with the sunshine_  
 _I lace up my high-tops_  
 _Slam dunk, ready or not_  
 _Yeah, show me what you got_

 _I'm under the spotlight  
I dare you, come on then follow  
You dance to your own beat  
I'll sing the melody_

My chin was resting on my right palm when Parker reached out and took my left hand in his right. We intertwined fingers and I just grinned. Did he really want our relationship to start out like this? It all felt so romantic!

 _When you say, "Yeah," I'll say "No."  
When you say, "Stop," all I wanna do is go, go, go!_

 _You (you) the other half of me (me)  
The half I'll never be-e  
The half that drives me crazy  
You (you) the better half of me (me)  
The half I'll always need (need)  
We all know  
We're better in stereo_

We all started tearing up because that night would be the last night that we were all together for a long time. Parker and I decided to get up and take a walk along the beach, my hand still in his.

"I can't believe that we're leaving so soon," Parker confessed.

"I know. It seems like only yesterday when you and Joey came to BOOMS." I still remembered that day. Our teacher called him "Pucker" and BOOMS was introduced to Falcon for the first time.

"Yeah… Time does go by so fast. Where did all that go?" All I wanted right then was for time to freeze (or at least slow down) because I honestly didn't want the night to end. I was walking along a beach with Parker, holding his hand, with the moon shining brightly above us. It felt like something out of a teen romance movie.

We spotted a bench and decided to sit down, facing the ocean. It was a warm night and it was almost pitch dark out, with only the light of the moon to see each other. We sat there for a few minutes in silence before Parker noticed my expression on my face. "Val? Are you okay?" I looked at him and from what I could see, his face showed concern and worry. He was worried about me and that was just plain beautiful.

"It's just…" How should I say it? "We are going to Bolivia in a week for a whole school year to live in a Mars BioDome. I've never been away from home for that long. What if we don't do well and don't end up going to Mars? What if we start freaking out under pressure and they kick us out? I'm scared, Parker." I had my arms wrapped around his waist as his hand was stroking my long, brown locks.

"Shhh. It's okay, Val. I'm scared too. But you know what? We _are_ going to be fine, we _are_ going to do well and end up on Mars." I looked up at him.

"How could you be so sure?"

"Because I'll make sure of it. You'll have me with you, every step of the way. We'll be the best looking couple in the BioDome." Wasn't that what he told me that morning in the Chemistry Lab?

"Couple?" My ears perked up and my head raised from it's previous state of being against his chest. Our eyes met and I looked into his bright brown eyes.

"Yeah. Couple." Then he kissed me…on my cheek, but I still blushed. After a few silent moments, I rested my head on his shoulder and his arm was wrapped around my body. I knew right then that everything was going to be okay as long as I was with Parker. In Parker's arms, I felt safe and secure. We looked out onto the ocean water with the brightly lit moon reflecting off of it. "It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Yeah. I could stay like this forever"

"Me too." It was perfect. The sounds of the ocean coming up to the sandy beach, only to retreat back from where it came from was very soothing that I feel asleep on Parker's shoulder.

* * *

 _Okay, I have a habit of having Val sleep on Parker's shoulder. I'm not entirely sure where that came from but I'm a huge romantic and I find a girl resting her head on a guy's shoulder and then falling asleep is absolutely adorable._

 _I also have a thing for moonlight walks on the beach. I also find that so romantic. What can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic._


	3. Chapter 3: We Got Chemistry

_Oh my gosh, you guys! I got a surprise for you! I'm finally uploading my next chapter! It's been 2 weeks and I've been neck deep with my studies. Midterms is next week and we just started our 6th week of classes. I'll be halfway to my credential in December. I can't believe it. Before I know it, I'lll be GRADUATING COLLEGE! It's scary that I'm "adulting."_

 _I turned 21 a couple weeks ago (I'll be 21 and 2 weeks tomorrow) and I've already gotten invitations by my older-than-21 friends to go buy alcohol or go out to a bar. Now that I can legally drink, I declined, mainly because my birthday was on a Tuesday this year and I had an 8 am Psychology class the next day._

 _Enough about me. How about some Pal? The only thing that belongs to me is this story. Everything else goes to Disney Channel and John D Beck._

* * *

 **Chapter 3: We Got Chemistry**

One week later, I found myself on an airplane to Bolivia with Parker next to me. Over the last week, we had become an official couple and packed for the incoming year in the BioDome. He came to my house almost every day to go out together for lunch or a walk. Sometimes, I would go over to his house, but it would be really quiet because there was only Ruby, Dena, and his mom, since Liv was in New York, Maddie was in New Orleans, and Joey was on tour. We would sit on the blue couch, my head resting on his shoulder and his arm wrapped around my body. In those moments, I felt safe and protected.

So much had happened this past year alone. I met Parker at the beginning of the school year and we quickly became science rivals, always trying to outdo each other, starting with the laser competition. It's not like I minded. In reality, I didn't really mind at all. I like having some competition because it gives me a better reason to do my best. The two of us developed a decent friendship and somewhere along the way, I developed certain feelings that I was unsure of. As time passed, those feelings became stronger every time we hung out, let alone saw each other. I later realized that these feelings weren't going to back down, as I was trying my best to deny them, I just couldn't so I accepted them instead. I found it harder and harder to convince myself that I didn't like him like that, even though my heart told me otherwise every time I saw him, every time he spoke, every time someone mentioned him, every time someone said his name, every time our eyes made contact and the world would just disappear. Eventually, I started to accept these feelings because I knew that they wouldn't go away, no matter how much I tried.

As the year went along, I've got a sneaky suspicion that he felt the same, but I wasn't exactly 100% sure. He found almost every excuse to talk to me or hang out with me. He always made sure that we were paired together for projects. He always sat next to me at lunch. With him, I felt like I could talk to him about everything. Then came the day when he asked to me to the ShaBoom Dance and I had this whole freak out whether he meant the dance or the Chemistry Challenge. Then there was when we were paired for this Chemistry project and the whole get-on-Maddie's-good-side thing happened. And then there was the time when we were locked in the Chemistry Lab one Saturday because his Mars Madness project combined with my Mars Madness project. Wow. All the things I can think of involve Chemistry. I guess you can say that Parker and I have really good Chemistry.

Going away to Bolivia for a whole school year really scared me. I've never been away from home for that long before nor had I've been outside the country before. Fortunately, I would have Parker with me, every step of the way. I suddenly felt a hand rest on top of mine and I was taken away from my thoughts to be drawn to Parker's brown eyes, full of concern. I gave him a small smile to let him know that I was fine. He gave my hand a reassuring squeeze just in case. I tried to put on a brave face but I could sense that Parker thought otherwise. "What are you thinking about?"

"Just this past year in general. So much happened." He nodded in understanding. He responded again by gently squeezing my hand.

"I know what you mean. If it wasn't for Joey and Liv, I wouldn't had realized my feelings for you. I would have to thank them one day." A small smile formed on my lips. He had told me about Liv, but this was the first time I heard about Joey.

"Joey? What do you mean?" I asked.

Parker licked his lips and thought about it for a few moments. "Well, it was the day when I asked you to ShaBoom Dance but I initially wanted us to be partners for the Chemistry Challenge," he explained. "Right after I asked you, he came up to me and told me. I wanted to clarify." I thought about it for a moment before opening my mouth.

"Was that why you kept avoiding me the couple days leading up to the dance?"

"That was part of it. The other part was I wasn't exactly sure of my feelings for you. I talked to Liv later that day and that was kind of how I realized how I felt about you." A smile formed on my face, remembering that conversation when we were working on that Chemistry project. That was the same week I met and befriended Maddie. That was such a crazy week. I urged Parker to continue. "Ever since, I was sure of my feelings for you but I wasn't entirely sure how you felt. Every time we spend together, every project we work on together, every time we talk, it makes me fall for you even more. Each day, was one step closer to getting to know you better and hopefully becoming an actual couple. I'm so glad you agreed to go out with me. I am even more glad when I found out you felt the same for me as I did for you. I'd never been so happy in my life."

I smiled into my lap, thinking that I've made him happy. The good thing was that he made me happy too. He's my first crush, my first boyfriend, and, hopefully, my first and only husband. I want us to get married, though we are both too young for that. I want us to have children and grow old together. I want us to have the fairytale ending that I've been dreaming about for the last year. I want us to live happily ever after, like in all the romantic movies Violet likes watching. I wanted to be swept off my feet by Prince Charming, while riding on his white horse to his magical castle in the sky. That didn't happen. I got something better. I got Parker Rooney, King of Mars.

A single tear escaped my eyes and was falling down my cheek, but Parker wiped it dry. "You have nothing to worry about. You'll have me every step of the way." Then he kissed my forehead. I laid my head on his shoulder as he laid his head on top of my head. I looked down at our hands, which were still resting on the armrest that divided my seat and his seat. I noticed has his right hand was on top of my left hand. I also noticed how he started lacing his fingers between mine and making circles with his thumb on my wrist. Just these small touches and moments we have together makes me feel like a crushing schoolgirl...and I was. I was crushing and eventually got the guy that I was crushing on.

I lifted my head from his shoulder so he lifted his head off my head. I looked at him and he looked at me. We smiled at each other and I leaned forward to kiss his cheek before retracting to lay my head on the back of my seat and closing my eyes.

I was woken up when I felt someone shake me. "Val? Wake up, baby." I slowly open and rub my eyes, letting out a soft groan in the process. Who dare destroys my slumber?

"What is it," I ask him, still not fully awake. Eventually, my vision clears to see a woman in a navy blue uniform, with her blonde hair tied back into a neat bun. She has a cart with cups on it.

"What would you like to drink, Miss?" She gestures to her cart. I turn my head to see that Parker already had a cup of clear liquid. He must had gotten either water or club soda. I look back up to see the woman still standing there.

"Do you have apple juice?" The woman nodded before taking one of the plastic cups from the stack and bending down for a container. She poured the golden-brown liquid into the clear cup then gently handing it to me so it won't spill. "Thank you." The woman smiled and nodded before moving down the aisle to offer drinks to the people behind me. I took a sip of my drink, surprised to feel that it was cold. I turned my head towards Parker again to see that he was on the verge of chuckling. "What?" Apparently, he couldn't hold it in any longer and a snicker escaped his lips. I waited until he was done to ask him again. "What's so funny?"

He shook his head. "I should have known." I scrunched my eyebrows.

"Known what?"

"That you were going to pick apple juice." I still didn't get it. Didn't other people like apple juice? What was so special about picking apple juice?

"I don't think I follow what you are trying to say."

Parker closed his eyes and took a breath. "Do you remember when I sort-of asked you to the ShaBoom Dance?" I smiled at the memory of that day. How could I forget? My crush asked me to the dance because he couldn't "think of a better pair." My heart swelled up at that moment. That was our first actual 'date.' I nodded, silently urging him to continue. He scratched his ear. "Well, I don't know if you remember or not but that day, you were holding 2 beakers and one of them was filled with apple juice." I didn't really remember that part but I wasn't going to let Parker know. Instead, I looked up and scrunched my eyebrows together in confusion.

"So that's the reason why you were laughing? Because I had apple juice in a beaker for a day last year?" I sighed and a smile started forming on my lips. "I love it when you remember these little things. It makes me feel so special that you remember."

"Well, why wouldn't I remember? You're my girlfriend, if I'm not mistaken." That made me laugh a little. His voice softened. "I always want to make you feel special because that is exactly what you are to me. Val, you have no idea how special you are to me." That made a single tear escape my eye and Parker wiped it dry with his thumb. "You are so special to me that we are going to do great things in Bolivia this next year and hopefully for the rest of our lives." Hearing this, my heart swelled up at the mention of our future. We definitely had a future together, I could count on that much.

I sat up straighter and closed my eyes. I took a breath, hoping to take the plunge. Our relationship was still new to us but that didn't stop me for saying the "L" word for the first time to him. Of course I loved him, I just didn't know how to tell him. I thought about the 8 lettered, 3 worded sentence and that made me back away last minute. I'll tell him eventually, just not now. Instead, I laid my head back on my seat, hoping to get some well deserved rest. I let the sounds of quiet chatter around me and the air conditioning on full blast lull me to sleep. Parker was also gently stroking the back of my hand with his thumb. I was asleep in no time.

* * *

 _I really enjoyed incorporating all the "Stand Up a Rooney" references. I also enjoyed how I wrote Parker as a knows-every-detail-on-his-crush kind of guy. It kind of makes me wonder if a guy who has a crush on me to know every little detail of me. That just makes it creepy yet adorable that people do that, but that's just my opinion._


	4. Chapter 4: Our Future

_wow! I can't believe it's been over a week since I last updated! I just finished my first midterm and I don't have another midterm until sometime next week. After that, I have my first midterm break that I get to spend at home (since I've gone to Friendship Games with my college API club these past 2 years). I have to admit that I'm really mad that Friendship Games this year is the week AFTER our midterm break._

 _I also have to admit that I'm still working on this story. I'm now working on chapter 6 and I'm not sure how long I want this story to be. I'm just writing and seeing where it takes me._

 _Like always, I don't own anything except this story._

* * *

 **Chapter 4: Our Future**

A few hours later, I woke up, feeling a bit more refreshed. The last few days, I hadn't gotten much sleep, often due to late night conversations with Parker and last minute packing. What does one take to a Mars BioDome in Bolivia for a whole school year? I looked beside me and saw that Parker was watching a movie with his headphones. He must had detected my movement, as his eyes left the screen in front of him and took out one earbud. "Oh, Val. You're awake."

I nodded, slowly rubbing my eyes. "Yeah, I am."

"Sleep well?"

I smiled. He was always so concerned about my well being and health. It was adorable. "Much."

"That's good." His eyes flickered back to his screen in front of him. His eyes lit up with an idea. "Hey, I found that movie you've always wanted to see in the movie library. I'm watching it now. I haven't gotten far. Wanna join me? I can start from the beginning."

Before I could think about it, I managed a "sure" before he handed me his other earbud so we could watch and listen to the movie together on his screen. I gladly accepted the earbud and placed it inside my ear. I saw him tap the screen a few times before I heard sounds from the earbud. He stole a glance at me before returning his attention to the movie. We were silent to each other for the next couple hours, often stealing glances at one another.

When the movie ended, it was getting closer to dinner. Parker and I decided to make small talk instead of watching another movie. Before long, I saw the same woman who offered me a drink earlier come down the aisle with her cart. I noticed as she was getting closer to our seats, her cart no longer had plastic cups and cartons and bottles of drinks, like it did earlier. Instead it had black trays with plastic wrap covering the trays. So good for the environment. Hear the sarcasm in my voice? She hands me a tray and I accept it, handing the tray to Parker. She hands me a second tray and I take it to be polite. I tear the plastic covering halfway of the tray. I take a whiff and it smells pretty good. To the right was a little bowl of mixed, more likely steamed, vegetables. Next to it was a bread roll with a pack of butter. My eyes move to the main course, chicken. Great. Exactly what a vegetarian eats. I guess I'll have to eat the vegetables and bread. Hopefully, the vegetables taste okay. Too bad I don't have my blender and frozen fruit to make a smoothie. _(This refers to Chloe's vlog "WHAT REALLY HAPPENS ON THE LIV AND MADDIE SET…" where Chloe makes a smoothie in the beginning of the vlog)_. Oh well. I'll survive. I remove the plastic wrap from the plastic utensils, ugh so much plastic, and pick up the fork to start eating the vegetables. They taste fine, just undercooked. They're crunchy and sitting in a bed of vegetable water. Not the worst thing but I've had better. I look at Parker, and he is happily chewing on the chicken. I made the decision of becoming a vegetarian during freshman year. It's been almost 2 years since I've eaten meat. When I finish the vegetables, I pick up the bread roll and start pulling it apart. So good for having vegetarian options.

After finishing my dinner, except for the chicken, which Parker was more than happy to eat mine, we went back to watching another movie. We had another 8 hours left on the flight. We weren't even halfway there! It definitely is the longest flight I've ever been on. We searched through the listings to see what movies we should watch. Nothing sounded that appealing so Parker had this random idea to look up "Liv Rooney" in the search bar, and sure enough, _Skyvolt, Sing It Loud, Sing It Louder, Space Werewolves,_ and _Bits and Pieces_ came up as the results. I had to laugh at that one. Internationally, Liv Rooney was popular. I feel lucky that I KNOW her and her family. I feel especially lucky that I'm dating her youngest brother.

Parker pointed to the screen in front of him. "I'm surprised that _Sing It Louder_ is already on here. It only premiered this year and only finished the first season. The second season will start filming when Liv get back from Broadway." I was surprised with this fact. She definitely is a busy girl.

"Wow, that's really fast. Does it take a long time to put together a Broadway show and perform it?" I was curious.

"Well, she's doing the show for three months and then she's coming back for the second season." I jerked up in my seat and my eyes widened in surprise.

"Three months?" Honestly, three months didn't sound like very long, then something occurred to me. I leaned back into my chair. "Parker, we were supposed to leave for the BioDome in three months. I still can't grasp onto the fact that we didn't develop our relationship until a week ago. If we had all summer, we would have developed it more. Somehow our relationship now feels rushed." I squeezed my eyes shut, not wanting to look at Parker's reaction. Instead I felt his hand squeeze mine.

"Val, it doesn't matter if it has been one week or three months. How I feel about you now doesn't change how I would feel about you one week ago or in three months. Maybe I feel something stronger between us than I did last week or I want our relationship to be more than just stolen glances, reassuring squeezes, and light kisses on the forehead and cheeks. I really like you, Val. I really do but I want our relationship to become something more. I know we are both still new to this whole boyfriend-girlfriend thing but I want this to work. I want _us_ to work." He sighed and closed his eyes to take a breath before continuing.

"Whenever someone would ask me about my future, I would tell them I see lab coats, Chemistry goggles, and my own lab. Over the time we've known each other, that idea changed. Now I mostly see you. I see us sharing an office at some university. I see early mornings and late nights of us trying to get a project done by the due date. I see us working together on a solution to a problem. I see us moving into our own place, an apartment in LA. I see you walking down an aisle, looking beautiful as ever. I see you almost breaking my hand after another contraction in the delivery room. I see us juggling to raise a little toddler and working as scientists. I see us crying at graduations and weddings. I see us living on Mars for a few years and then coming back to California to live out the rest of our days. I see us sitting together, reminiscing of all of our memories. I see us growing old together, with your hair becoming grey and hopefully I'll still have hair." I had to let out a soft chuckle at that. He took my hands into his and started stroking the back of my hands with his thumbs. "Val, no matter how far I look into the future, you're always there. You don't know how much you've made me happy this past year. I am so glad that you agreed to go out with me and be my girlfriend." _(Okay, I admit. I kinda-sorta stole this part from a Ryelsi story I read a while back, though I cannot remember which story it was. I'll let you guys know if I come across it again.)_

It took me a while to take in all that he said. When I finally realized what he said, I was so touched by his words that I started crying. I felt the same way. I wanted our relationship to work, no matter where we were. I remember Parker once told me that Liv and her current boyfriend, Holden, got together in Wisconsin but broke up sometime later, only to reunite in LA. They've been inseparable ever since. It kind of made me think of if the same thing would happen between Parker and I. Would we break up suddenly over something stupid? Honestly, I didn't want that. Parker Rooney was my first crush and my first boyfriend, but he was one of my closest friends over everything else. Sure, we started off as science rivals (and we still are very competitive with each other) but then a friendship developed. Then a friendship turned into a crush. Then a crush turned into a much bigger crush. Then a much bigger crush turned me into a stressful mess of whether or not the guy I like likes me back. In the end, he felt the same as I did and that only made us closer. Eventually, we saw each other almost on the daily and talked almost every night that I wanted us to become something more than just a "he-likes-her-she-likes-him-but-they-aren't-a-couple" relationship but neither of us were doing anything about it. It bothered me that we had that sort of relationship, I guess each of us was too shy to talk to the other about the possibility of becoming something more than friends. I admit that I was really shy when it came to my feelings towards Parker.

I was brought back to reality when a gentle kiss was placed on my forehead. I remembered I was on a 13 hour flight to Bolivia with my boyfriend of one week to live in a Mars BioDome for a whole school year. I heard his gentle words continue. "You mean so much to me and I can't imagine my life without you. You are an essential part of my life and I want us to work. I really like you, Val, and nothing can change that." Cue the tears.

"Oh, Parker." I sniffled. "You have no idea how much that means to me. You are an amazing friend and an even more amazing boyfriend. I couldn't have asked for anyone else. Heaven forbid that I'd get someone like Skeeter or something." The thought made me laugh. Not only did everyone thought I would end up with Skeeter, but him and Parker have become close friends, which is odd because a year ago, they were sworn enemies. Sound familiar?

I heard a chuckle coming from beside me. I looked up and saw a smile on my boyfriend's face as he tried his best to keep as quiet as he could. "I could imagine how you would have felt. What if you liked someone else?"

"Exactly my point. And besides, I _did_ like someone else, though I was afraid he wouldn't like me back so I kept my crush on him a secret."

"And who, may I ask, is this 'someone else' that you liked?" He raised an eyebrow. Ugh. Boys can be so oblivious sometimes. I decided to play with him for a little bit.

"Well," I took his hand into mine, "I'll give you a hint. He's competitive, plays soccer, enjoys watching Lakers games with me, an amazing Chemistry partner. He really sweet and kind. He's got these mesmerizing brown eyes that I get lost in and a hand that fits perfectly into mine. He always knows the right things to say. He's one of my best friends and I honestly can't see a life without him by my side." I gave him a knowing look and his hand a squeeze.

"Well, he sounds like the perfect guy for you."

"He honestly is the best around. I'm so glad that he's like that. I'm hoping he likes me back," a smile growing on my lips.

"I'll let you in on a little secret." He turned his body so he was facing me. "Come closer." He gestured for me lean in closer to him, I obeyed. Our faces were inches apart. "I've had this crush on this girl for a while but I've been afraid to tell her. The worst thing is that she's one of my friends. I'm not sure if she likes me the way I like her." My eyebrows shot up and I let out a small gasp in shock as I leaned back and my hand made it to my chest, for dramatic effect. I looked around, remembering we were in an airplane, and quickly composed myself.

"Can you describe her so I can make sure you don't be left heartbroken?"

"Well," he paused, "she loves Chemistry like me. She's also really competitive like me. I get lost in her bright blue eyes and her brown hair frames her face perfectly. Of course, she gets confused between apple juice and fox urine," I giggled at this. He just had to bring that up, "but it's difficult to tell her I like her because I think she likes someone else and I'm afraid that they were meant to be instead of her and me. I know it sounds silly but that's just how I am."

I thought about his words for a second before telling him what was on my mind. "That does sound hard but I can assure you that she only has eyes for one guy and one guy only." I gave him a knowing look, my eyes twinkling. "And that guy," I paused for dramatic effect but taking his hands in mine and staring into the chocolate brown eyes I've been accustomed to, "is you." A smile grew on Parker's face as he leaned forward and closed his eyes. Before I knew it, his lips were on mine for a few brief seconds before he pulled away. My eyes flickered open to see his grin still there. I gave him a shy smile; I still wasn't used to the guy I liked for a year to like me back.

* * *

 _Yay! Finally a kiss! The second part was kind of inspired by a conversation between Kelsi and Ryan during "Love Profound" by fallinrain. It's from chapter 24. I let a lot of my inspiration from Ryelsi stories I read. THEY ARE JUST SO ADORABLE!_


	5. Where I've been recently Sorry guys

Hey everyone! I was re-reading Ryelsi fanfictions (I honestly can't get enough of them) and came across the story that I kinda sorta took from chapter 4 where Parker tells Val what he sees in his future. The Ryelsi story is called "Twenty Five Roses" and it's by fallinrain. The part where I kinda sorta stole the idea is from Chapter 11. The story (along with the sequel "Love Profound") are among my favorite Ryelsi stories.

I apologize for not updating for a little while but I'm currently swamped with schoolwork. I just finished my midterms but I have 2 papers due next Monday (we have a 4-day break that starts on Thursday and for the first time in 2 years, I can go home during the Midterm Break) and a paper due next Wednesday (but it was supposed to be due on the following Friday but I'm leaving for Friendship Games at 5am on Friday so I will miss class.

In the last two years that I've done Friendship Games, Friendship Games is the week **after** Midterm Break! I'm so annoyed!

I've also been planning an event for a club I'm president of so the last few weeks have been full of brainstorming, planning, and reaching out. Gosh, I'm exhausted. I hope to update soon!

~DisneyMinnie


	6. Chapter 5: A Rose of A Different Color

_Okay. First of all, I would like to apologize for being MIA for a month and a half but I can honestly say that I was busy. I've been working my butt off this last month writing papers, doing readings, and studying because next week is FINALS! I can't believe that FINALS is coming up so soon. It feels like we just had MidTerms._

 _Secondly, I've been very stressed lately so I've honestly been reading Ryelsi fanfictions to calm me down._

 _Lastly, I've been putting off finishing this story for two reasons. One, I've been so busy that I can only touch and write a few paragraphs at a time. Two, I don't want to finish this because this will be the end of "End a Rooney" but technically, "End a Rooney" ended in chapter 2. I just want to continue it to see what happens when they get to Bolivia. I'm currently writing chapter 6 so I'm hoping to finish this story by the end of the year. I'm crossing my fingers that I actually do that._

* * *

 **Chapter 5: A Rose of a Different Color**

The rest of the flight wasn't very eventful. Parker and I watched another movie until we both fell asleep, my head rested on his shoulder and his head rested on top of my head. His hand on top of mine on the armrest and our fingers intertwined. My dreams consisted of a life-changing event that happened a few days ago.

 _We had just gotten off of school for the summer but summer didn't mean I could see my friends, well, one friend in particular. Parker and I would be gone in a week to Bolivia for a whole school year and we just kinda-sorta confessed our feelings to each other the night before. I still couldn't wrap around the idea that the guy I've liked for nearly a year likes me back. I didn't know it yet but our relationship was going to move on to the next level._

 _I was in my room checking off everything I needed for Bolivia when I heard the doorbell. Not thinking much of it, I didn't look up. It wasn't until I heard a knock on my door that I put down my checklist and strode over to my door. I wasn't surprised to see Parker Rooney, my crush and best friend, on the other side. We've been seeing each other a lot lately, either I'd go to his place and we'd do something or he'd come over to my house and we'd do something. He's been coming over to my house an awful lot recently and I was starting to get suspicious. I got a curious look on my face. "Parker, what are you doing here? Not that I enjoy seeing you but it's 7pm. Why are you here?"_

 _He looked at me with hopeful eyes, though I couldn't exactly tell why. Then a grin started to form before he grabbed my hand and dragged me out of my bedroom. "Parker! What are you…" He was dragging me so fast that I nearly tripped on my way down the stairs, "What are you doing? Where are we going?" He just turned to me and smiled bigger. I could tell that he wasn't going to tell me anytime soon. I sighed and followed him to some unknown destination._

 _After about 10 minutes of him dragging me out of the house and down a few blocks, he stopped but kept his grip on my hand. He then turned to me and took something out from his pockets. He unfolded it to reveal a bandana. I expected him to tie it around his head like a headband but instead it tied it around MY head, covering my eyes. After he double knotted the ends around the back of my head, he spoke to me for the first time that day. "How many fingers am I holding up?"_

 _"How am I supposed to know? I can't see a thing."_

 _I guess he was satisfied with my response because I heard him say "good" before dragging me once again to who-knows-where. I let out a groan in frustration because (1) I haven't seen Parker in 2 days, (2) he showed up at my house a few days before leaving for Bolivia and spoke all but 10 words to me, (3) he refused to tell me where we were going, let alone what we were doing, and (4) I was freaking blindfolded so I had no way of knowing where we were going or what was happening. All I knew was Parker was currently dragging me through the streets of Malibu a few days we were leaving for the Mars BioDome. I had to expect the unexpected because anything could happen. I sighed and let him drag me to our destination._

 _It didn't take us long before we stopped again. I felt that he was untying. I sighed in relief but that was cut short when he whispered "keep your eyes closed" in my ear. I shivered slightly as his hot breath made it's way past my ear and hit my cheek. I could just see him grinning at the effect he had on me. I obeyed him and closed my eyes, only to find his warm hands covering my eyes. This, I was surprised by because this was the first time his hands went anywhere near my face. Usually we would just be holding hands or linking arms. I guess you can say that I was shocked by the contact but I could feel sparks between his fingers and my eyelids. I had a good feeling about what was about to happen._

 _He guided me a few steps, saying where to step in the process. Soon, we stopped once again. I felt him slowly removing his hands from my eyes. "Okay. Open them." I flickered my eyes open and I was amazed at what I saw. I noticed we were somewhere familiar, very familiar. As in we-were-just-here-a-few-days-ago familiar. I smiled as I finally realized we were in the middle of BOOMS, between the Chemistry Lab and the gymnasium. We've had so many memories this past year, I lost count. I looked up to see that Parker was now holding a yellow flower with a red tip, and if I knew my flowers, he was holding a rose but why was it yellow? Weren't roses usually red or pink or something? He cleared his throat before speaking. "Val, in a few days, we'll be leaving to Bolivia to live in a Mars BioDome for a school year. It's been 10 months since we met and throughout those months, we've developed a decent friendship and I can honestly say that you are one of my best friends. I don't want us to go to the BioDome as friends." My smile disappeared. Did he want to end our friendship? Did he not like me anymore? Was all the projects, late night calls, and general hanging out all for nothing? My thoughts were going at a rapid speed that Parker noticed my sudden change in emotions. He continued. "I want us to go to the BioDome as boyfriend-girlfriend." My eyes lit up at the mention of 'boyfriend-girlfriend.'_

 _"So what do you say? Me and you?" I couldn't believe my ears. He took a step towards me._

 _"Seriously? You and me?" I asked, just to make sure I wasn't dreaming. I took a step._

 _He stepped closer to me so that our faces were inches apart. "I can't think of a better pair," he whispered. I smiled._

 _"Um. Yes. I'd like that." Then I heard him chuckle._

 _"I'm sensing a bit of deja vu here." I laughed along with him and agreed. When our laughter died down, I tucked some stray hairs behind my ear and briefly looked at the ground. I then looked up at Parker, who was still holding the yellow rose. I was still curious about the yellow rose._

 _"Not to be rude or anything, but what's with the flower?" I pointed to it. He looked down at it and smiled before looking back up at me._

 _He admired the flower from his hands. "This is a rose, used by friends and lovers all over the world. I don't know if you knew this but the color of the rose means something. You may be used to the normal red rose, which symbolizes love and romance. I'm not saying that I should have gotten a red rose but I'm pretty sure I would get a red rose sometime in the future. It's just a little early for us." I nodded my head in agreement. We just became boyfriend-girlfriend and it was a little early to call it love. He continued with his speech. "Other colors mean other meanings. A white rose means purity and innocence. An orange rose means enthusiasm and passion. A pink rose means admiration. There's all these different colors that have different meanings. I can go on and on about other colors and other meanings but I think you get the idea." My smile grew as I let out a little giggle. When he was describing the different colors and the different meanings, he was looking at the yellow rose in his hand, He looked up to look at me. I was waiting for him to tell me what the yellow rose meant. "Do you know what a yellow rose means?" I shook my head no. "Well, to put it simply, it means friendship. We were friends before anything else. I believe the best relationships start out as friendships because that makes the relationship stronger." He started gently touching the red tip of the rose. "There's a reason why the tip is red while the rest of the rose is yellow. You see, a yellow rose with a red tip means something different than friendship." He paused and I waited, rather impatiently, for him to tell me what it meant. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath before opening them and looking straight into my eyes. I could feel the intensity of emotions from his gaze. "It means falling in love."_

 _My eyes bulged out of their sockets. (Okay, not literally but you get the idea.) I couldn't believe what I was hearing. Falling in Love. Could it be? I looked over at him expectantly. "Do...do you feel that way...for me?" I was disappointed when he shook his head._

 _"Not yet but I'm pretty sure I'll feel that way soon." He took my hands into his. I glanced out our joined hands, how they fit perfectly in each others. "I can't stop how I feel for you. It may not be love yet but it's getting there. I really, really, REALLY like you, Val." I giggled when he put a special emphasis on the last 'really'. He reached out toward my face and dried a tear that I didn't know was escaping my eyes. "I really want us to work. You're the first girl that I had feelings towards and I want you to be the only girl for me." He then kissed my forehead. "And that is why the rose has a red tip on it." He stook out the flower for me and I gently took it from his fingers. I smelled the sweet scent of the rose. I've always loved how roses smelled._

 _"Oh Parker." I wiped a tear coming down my cheeks with my own hands. "No guy has ever done something like this to me. It makes me feel like I made the right choice when I accepted your not-Chemistry-challenge invitation." Both of us laughed at the memory. That was when I first saw that Parker had feelings for me. How could a misunderstanding be the start of a relationship? Love works in mysterious ways._

 _We spent the rest of the evening and into the night having a romantic picnic 2nd dinner and a moonlit walk on the beach. It was so romantic, I thought I was a part of some teen romance movie where the viewers could 'ship' the characters together and write fanfiction on them. What can I say? I'm a hopeless romantic, well not as hopeless now._

I woke up from someone gently shaking my body. I stirred in my sleep. Who dares wake me now? "Val? Time to wake up, baby. We're landing soon." I secretly smiled in my sleep at the sound of my boyfriend's voice. _Boyfriend_ , it's got a nice ring to it.

* * *

 _The roses were inspired by "Twenty Five Roses" by fallinrain and "The Color of Roses" by HermioneRose. I also had to do a bit of research for the different meanings of the different roses. I wish guys would do that for me. I'm such a romantic._


	7. Chapter 6: Welcome to the BioDome!

_Has it really been over two months? I'm so sorry everyone! I spent the first week of December preparing for FINALS. The second week of December was FINALS. The third and fourth week was filled with me trying to figure out what to pack on my trip in January._

 _My college has January Term for the undergraduates so this past January Term I had the opportunity to go to Hawai'i for two weeks. I spent four weeks disconnecting, unplugging, and learning about solitude and Hawaiian culture and history. Part of the class involves unplugging from technology so I spent four weeks unable to go on social media and reading and writing fanfiction. All of our papers were handwritten. We were able to spend an hour a day using our technologies but for texting, calling, and for work, not for social media or internet. It was an amazing experience not constantly looking down at my phone when I could be talking with my peers._

 _I actually finished this chapter earlier this week and started chapter 7. I'm not exactly sure when I want to end this story bur right now, Val and Parker just made it to Bolivia and are getting ready for the BioDome. I'm hoping to work on part 3 of "As Long as I Have You" for Valentine's Day._

 _Here's the next chapter. Again. I apologize it took so long for me to update._

* * *

 **Chapter 6: Welcome to Bolivia!**

Before I knew it, our plane landed in South America. It was my first time traveling somewhere outside of the US, let alone traveling on a plane. I was glad my first time was with my boyfriend of 3 days. The landing was a little rough and Parker held my hand during the landing. He kept holding on after we landed. I felt more at ease when Parker kept reassuring me that it was okay. I was so nervous that I nearly crushed his hand, I was squeezing it so hard. Fortunately, he only had to stretch his hand a little bit so blood will flow to his fingers.

We waited, rather impatiently, for everyone else to gather their carry-ons and get off the plane. Our fingers still intertwined, we grabbed our carry-ons and made our way off the plane to get the rest of our baggage.

Joya Andina Airport _(That's the closest airport to the Salar di Uyuni. The airport, itself, is small and only has one terminal for flights. According to the airport page on , the only flights that go in and out of the airport are within other parts of Bolivia so please bear with me when they fly straight from LA to Bolivia)_ was rather impressive. Though I admit the airport in LA was much bigger, the airport in Bolivia has this sense of inclusivity and welcoming that I can't get in LA. It was small but it was good enough for Parker and I. It took us all but 10 minutes to wait for our baggage and spot our chauffeur from the crowd to take us to the BioDome.

Our chauffeur, I noticed, was in a dark grey suit with his hair combed to one side. He had jet black hair and his facial clearly outlined the bottom half of his face. His complexion was darker than both mine and Parker's so I assumed he was a local. Parker, his usual happy self, enthusiastically waved at the man, who acknowledged with a nod. I had to hold back a giggle, I just loved his enthusiasm. When we reached him, he spoke Spanish but I could tell that he also knew a few words in English. I didn't know exactly how I came to that conclusion, but I just knew. " _BioDome Marte?_ " I looked at him with a confusing look. I could make out 'BioDome' but it sounded more like 'be-oh-doe-may' and he spoke pretty fast. I tried to process what he said but to no avail. Gosh, I should have taken Spanish, like everyone else, but I just HAD to take French. I looked over at Parker, whose facial expressions I couldn't read. I saw that he was trying to process the man's words and come up with a response. He took Spanish.

"Ummm. _Si, BioDome Marte. Mi llamo Parker y esto es Val._ " The man's eyebrows shot up, I guess not a whole lot of tourists know Spanish. He started smiling and nodding.

" _Oh si, si. Parker y Val. Sígueme_." He waved his hand and then turned around and started walking. Did he want us to follow him? I felt a slight tug on my hand that wasn't dragging my suitcase. In the few minutes of our conversation, Parker had managed to grab my hand and now, he was pulling me with him as he was walking towards where our chauffeur went. I guess he did want us to follow us. I followed my boyfriend outside to where I saw everything from cars to people to suitcases. It was absolute chaos.

The cab ride was, in lack of a better word, quiet. I could tell that our chauffeur didn't speak a word of English, and if he did, he knew very little. From the 3 years that Parker took Spanish, he knows enough to understand a second grade level and from what I could tell, he wasn't making any attempt to talk to our chauffeur. Instead, he kept talking to me about our plans for the next year and beyond. I couldn't wait to spend the next school with Parker by my side and it was finally happening.

Before long, the cab came to a stop. I looked out the window to see that the ground was dry and a little bit of snow on it, and the sky was a beautiful blue. Our chauffeur got out of the driver's seat and turned to open Parker's door. I turned my head to see Parker's side and it was dramatically different from what I saw on my side. Before I could wonder what it was, I hear a "Val?" and I look up to see Parker with an outstretched hand. He must have seen my hesitation as he gave me a reassuring smile and I placed my hand in his. He helped me out of the cab before heading to the trunk to grab our suitcases, where our chauffeur was waiting. " _Gracias_ ," Parker said to our chauffeur, who nodded before returning to the driver's seat and driving away.

It was then when I really looked up to see where we were dropped off. There was a small parking lot that holds about 12 cars. Above a long, brick building stood with a thatched roof. We figured we had to go there so Parker took the lead and lead us toward the brick building.

We soon found out that we were dropped off at where we supposed to meet the executives of the space exploration company. I was always looking back to that day where we beat all the teams and proved to everyone, especially Artie, that Team Pal is the best team to go to the Mars BioDome. Ms Karsch had always been very supportive of us. I remember when she let Maddie, Willow, and I into BOOMS on a weekend but that's another story.

Now, what was I thinking about? Oh yeah, the Mars BioDome. I can't believe that we finally made it to the BioDome! It seemed like it was yesterday when Parker and I got trapped into the Chemistry Lab because of our Mars Madness projects combined. Sigh.

I feel a hand slip into my left. I didn't need to see who it was but I looked anyway. I turned my head to my left to see a smiling Parker. Every time I seem to see him now, he always seems to have a smile. I've always liked it when he smiled. He was always one of those people who smiled with their eyes too. When he would smile, his eyes would light up. In fact, his whole body would light up. You could see it.

I smiled back at him and he gave me a reassuring squeeze. This was both of our first time being away from our families for a long period of time but he knew it was my first time out of California. Ever since I could remember, I had never been outside of California. I had traveled within California but had never traveled outside of California. I guess my first time was with my boyfriend of one week for an entire school year. It seems exciting but scary at the same time.

I squeezed his hand in response. We've been doing that a lot over the past 48 hours. He's been great and I'm grateful to call him mine. We both been anxious for the trip but we have each other for 12 months so we both will be fine. I have him and he has me, as long as he doesn't panic under pressure and hives start appearing.

He drags my hand and I have no choice but to follow him. I drag my suitcase while holding onto my backpack, following Parker in the process. I see a man in a black suit waving in our direction. I assume he is one of the executives, since Parker seems to be waving back at him, that grin never leaving his face, just like when he waved and grinned at our chauffeur at the airport. I love his enthusiasm. Before long, we reach the man and I see a blonde woman in a fitted blouse and pencil skirt join him along with another man with glasses, a lab coat, and a clipboard.

The man in the black suit waits for us to be face-to-face with him before speaking up. "Mr Parker Rooney and Miss Valerie Wishart, welcome to Bolivia. We congratulate you two for winning Mars Madness these past few months. From what we gather from your teacher, you two work very well together. We apologize for the last minute plans but we appreciate you two coming on such short notice." Parker and I nod before the man continues. "My name is Dr Tenzing Trainer." We both shake the man's hand. He gestures to the blonde woman. "This is Dr Chloe Hosterman." We shake her hand.

"How do you do?" She asks us. We can only nod before Dr Trainer gestures to the man in the lab coat.

"And this is Dr Benjamin King." We shake his hand. "We will be your primary team that you will be in touch with for this next year. If either of you have any questions or concerns, please let us know and we will do our best to answer them. Now, before we go inside, Dr King will give you both the rundown on what the next year will be like for you two. Dr King?" He gestured for the man with the clipboard to say his spiel.

"As Dr Trainer had just said, I'm Dr King and I will be giving you both a general outline on what the two of you will be doing for this next year. Today and tomorrow will probably be the most difficult days for you two, as you will meet everyone else and get acquainted inside the lab before moving inside the Mars BioDome. After that, you two will move into the BioDome while we will be recording your progress on your work. Do not worry about having a due date for your projects. Just make sure you get them done by the time you leave but I suggest you two finish them as soon as possible so you can work on your others. You will have a total of 5 projects, each having something to do with Mars. Your first project involves communication from Mars to Earth, much like your project you two won to get here. Your second project involves bare necessities and natural resources on Mars. Your third project involves life on Mars. Your fourth project involves exploring Mars for future needs. Your fifth and final project is an individual project that you two can either work together or work separately on. As you finish each project, keep in mind that all the projects combined will determine how well you two will do on Mars. When you finish one project, we will give you the instructions for the next. Like I said before, do not worry about having a due date for each project. Just focus on getting each done as soon as you can. Any questions?" Dr King eyed Parker and then me. We both looked a little lost. Dr King chucked a little. "Don't worry about everything. Before you know it, you two will be finished here and on your way to the Red Planet. For the next few days, just focus on learning everything you will need to know for the BioDome."

I released a breath I didn't know I was holding in relief. That sounded like a lot of work to do but I guess both Parker and I are up for the challenge. I could see that Parker was fighting the urge to say it and not three seconds later I saw him raise his finger. "Challenge: Accepted!" The three executives gave him a look that clearly had no idea what that meant. I decided to explain for my boyfriend, since he was still in his daze.

"It's just this thing he does for when he is challenged to do something or when something happens, he wants to do something about and will not stop until he has succeeded." Dr Trainer was the first to get back from his confused state. "You'll understand soon enough." He nodded, taking my word for it.

* * *

 _If you didn't know, Tenzing Trainer plays Parker, Chloe Hosterman (Dove Cameron) plays Liv/Maddie, and Benjamin King plays Pete. Don't be surprised if future characters have names of the actors._


	8. Chapter 7: Thoughts in Room 407

BOOM(s)! I'm back! Missed me? I'm trying to finish this story as soon as I possibly can so I can get to my other stories!

Just for future reference, all the doctors mentioned are the names of the actors from the show and somehow represent their respectful character. How many can you identify?

407 references Season 4, Episode 7 "Stand up a Rooney," respectfully. 415 references Season 4, Episode 15 "End a Rooney," respectfully.

* * *

 **Chapter 7: Thoughts in Room 407**

"Alright. Let's get you two situated inside the lab. Then we will introduce you two to everyone else and we will begin to train you two the ropes of the lab. If you would just follow Dr Hosterman inside, we can start. I will meet up with you guys later. Dr Hosterman?"

"Thank you Dr Trainer. Please follow me so you can meet everyone else on the team and we can start the training. Jimmy and Ryan will take your bags. Boys?" I suddenly saw a large hand grab my suitcase. I turn around and see a boy, no older than 16, with flaming red hair. He flashes me a charming smile. What?

Parker must have seen the exchange because he instantly grabbed my hand. Men can be so overprotective sometimes. I gave his hand a small squeeze to reassure him that he has nothing to worry about. The other boy seemed to be around the same age as the other one but with dirty blonde hair and is taller. He looks to be around 18.

With my hand in Parker's, we follow Dr Hosterman inside and what we see is bigger than I could imagine. There's a long hallway that leads to various departments and doors. In the middle is a large area with portraits lining the walls. To the right side seems to be a display case that holds various rocks and minerals. To the left side are double doors. Above the doors read the word "AUDITORIUM" in large black letters. As I pass the other doors, I could see the name plaques of the different scientists, their position, and office number. I'm hoping that one day, I'll have a name plaque just like that.

"As you can see, we have a variety of different scientists working on different projects all around the labs." Dr Hosterman lead us through the long hallway. "You will meet most of them today and tomorrow, as they have certain roles and tasks that they are preparing for you two to complete during your stay here in Bolivia. We have Dr East of the Communication wing." We passed a door with a name plaque of Dr Chloe East. "She will give you provide you with information regarding your first project, as she is head of the Communication department here. Then we have Dr Ego, who is our environmental specialist here and will provide information regarding your second project. Over here is Dr Bragg's office. Dr Bragg will talk to you two about your third project. Then there is Dr Rocha, who will provide information for your fourth project. Finally, there is Dr Hastings, who will provide information regarding your last project. You will meet them all at the welcome dinner tonight and will get a chance to talk to them and ask questions tonight and tomorrow." Dr Hosterman paused when she saw both of our faces in awe. She gave us a few moments to take it all in before continuing. "You two will have an entire year to get used to all of this so if you two would just follow me, we will continue our tour."

The tour ended up being an hour long and I was in complete shock. We met a few of the scientists assigned to head our projects and a few other staff that we wouldn't see as much. By the time we finished, it was already late afternoon. We walked up a few flights of stairs before coming to a floor with another long hallway and more doors. I noticed the floor was carpeted in contrast to the tile floor of the labs on the bottom floor. "This floor is where you two will be staying at for a few weeks before moving into the BioDome." Dr Hosterman handed us keys. "Valerie, your room is 407. Parker, your room is 415." We walked a few feet before room 407 was before us. "Here is your room, Valerie. We already put your luggage in your room so please freshen up and meet us at 6pm in the lobby so I can lead you two to dinner tonight. This is not a formal dinner but wear something nice."

What? I was alone for who-knows-how-long? Just like that? I eyed Parker and I guess he could sense my nerves because he winked at me before going with Dr Hosterman to his room. "See you at 6, Val."

"See you, Parker." I sighed before turning to my door. This is my home for the next few weeks. I slid the key in the lock, turned it, and turned the handle. I was glad that the key was an actual key, instead of the card that hotels use. The key makes me feel like an actual home. Inside, I was in complete shock.

It wasn't at all what I expected. It looked like a small apartment with a small kitchen to my right and a dining room to my left. In front of me was a small room with a couch, a coffee table, some wall shelves, and a television. Yes! Now I can binge watch _Bits n' Pieces_! I walked a little ways and found a small bedroom and a bathroom. It wasn't much but I only was living here for a few weeks. It was cute.

I found my luggage in the bedroom with a short note on my suitcase. _You're pretty. Wanna go out sometime?_ Huh? I was shocked at the note. Who would give me a love note? I thought back to today. It took me awhile but realization hit me. It must have been that guy who took my luggage when Parker and I got here. Okay. This guy likes me but I'm in a relationship with my Chemistry partner, who happens to be my Mars BioDome partner. Okay, okay. Val, don't jump to conclusions. You don't know if he likes you or not. He just called me "pretty" and I personally don't think that's okay. The only ones who were allowed to call me pretty were Parker and my family. And he wanted to go out with me? Uhh. No. He was a bit creepy. I shuddered at the thought. I then thought of Parker, my Chemistry partner, Mars BioDome partner, one half of Pal, and my boyfriend. I have Parker. I don't need or want anything else.

At that, recycled the creepy note (save the environment!), lifted my suitcase to my bed, unzipped it, and brought out my toiletry bag. I walked to the bathroom and set up my toiletries. I walked out and started unloading my suitcase. I put the proper clothes in the dresser and hung up the rest in the closet. By the time I finished, it was already 5. Shoot. I had an hour to clean up and head downstairs for dinner. I quickly brushed my hair and changed into something nicer than my sneakers, capris, and short sleeve shirt. After spending 20 minutes trying to decide, I opted for a simple lace white dress, black leather jacket and my black boots. _(I'm trying to describe the outfit Chloe wears in the Just Jared Jr post entitled "Jessica Darling's It List's Chloe East Gets Her Hands Messy at Buca di Beppo".)_. I can't go anywhere without my black boots. Not too fancy but not too casual. It's perfect. Let's just hope I don't spill anything on my white dress. I pack a small clutch for my phone, room key, and chapstick. I check the time once more. I have 10 minutes. I should head down so I won't be late. I double check everything before closing the door and heading down to the lobby.

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It feels great to be back in the game!


	9. Chapter 8: It's actually a funny story

_I'm so sorry about the delay in this story. I know you guys want to know what happens and I am working towards that. I kinda lost interest in this story over the summer but I will try to finish it with the will and passion I have for Parker and Val._

 _If you haven't noticed already, a lot of the scientists I wrote in this story have the same name as the actors on L &M. That was done on purpose so I wouldn't spend too much time making up names for fictional characters. I already spent so much time making up the name of Val's sister and brothers._

 _Like always, I don't own the show, characters, any of the actors, or even the dialogue from "Sorta-Sisters-A-Rooney."_

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 **Chapter 8: It's actually a funny story**

By the time I got to the lobby, I had a few minutes to spare so I decided to people watch for a bit. It was later in the work day so I thought everyone was at dinner or went home for the day so it was rather quiet. The sun was still out but it was going to set soon. I soon spotted Parker and walked towards him but stopped when I saw that he did a double take and his eyes went big. I giggled a little bit. I rarely get dressed up so it isn't every day you see your boyfriend/girlfriend dressed up. This would count as the third time I was dressed up with Parker. The first time was when we went to the ShaBoom Dance. The second time was for the Spring Fling where we decided to go as "just friends" to convince myself that we were just that. This was the third time. He approached me timidly and rubbed his hands against his button down shirt.

"Wow, Val." He exhaled and held out his hand, I gladly took it. "You look beautiful, but I already knew that," and he kissed my knuckles. I gave him a shy smile.

"Thanks Parker." I looked him up and down from his neat dress pants to the crisp blue button down shirt he was wearing. "You cleaned up good." He bowed elaborately.

"Thank you mi'lady." I giggled. I loved spending time with him. We could be children or be adults. Sometimes we act funny, sometimes we act serious. We are just that kind of couple. Before long, Dr Hosterman came and she, too, had changed out of her blouse and pencil skirt and into a red sheath dress. The dress had little ruffles on the bottom and a white belt went around the waist. She wore a black sweater over the dress.

"Great, you're both here. Are you two ready for the welcome dinner?" We both nodded eagerly. "Alright. Let's go then!" We followed Dr Hosterman into a large banquet room, my hand in Parker's. We saw a long table in front of the room and no other than Dr Trainer was at the table with a large binder and a sign that read _Sign In Here_! He stood and greeted us warmly.

"Valerie and Parker! It's great to see you again. How has your day been so far?" We shook his hand.

Parker was the first to speak. "It's been great. We met some great scientists, got a tour of your awesome labs, and got our room for the next few weeks. It's been great but tiring. We've had a long day." He pointed towards me.

"I bet. You two had an early morning flight, am I correct?" We both nodded. Our flight was at 8am so we had to be at the airport at around 6:30, which meant that we had to get up at around 5. We got in pretty early the next day at around 6am California time, 10am Bolivia time. Despite all the hours I spent sleeping on the plane, I was exhausted. I basically spent an entire day on an airplane, therefore losing the day to spending it in the air. My body was also getting used to the time difference. By the time we arrived in Bolivia, my body was still on LA time so it was still sleeping.

"Well, I'm glad you two are finally here. We've been anticipating your arrival for about a month so it's great that you two are here. Aren't we, Dr Hosterman?" The woman nodded before signing her name in the large binder and creating a name tag before sticking the name tag on her chest. "If you two would just sign in in this binder below Dr Hosterman's name, writing your name on one of these," he handed us one of the sticky name tags, "and follow Dr Hosterman inside. You two will be seated at table 2, along with Dr Hosterman, myself, and a few other scientists that you may not have met today." Dr Trainer gave us a gentle smile. We both signed our names, made a name tag, and walked behind Dr Hosterman, as she lead us into the banquet room.

I was amazed at the set up. The lights were on a medium setting, not too bright and not too dark. There were large round tables that seated around 8 people. Each table was decorated with a white table cloth; a set of glasses, napkins, utensils, plates, and a name card at each chair; and a small vase in the center with flowers and a card with a number on it. In the front, there was a stage with a podium and a microphone, with a dark green curtain behind them. On either side of the stage were two flags, the flag of South America and the flag of Bolivia, respectively. It looked really formal. It was almost full by the time we got there so when we made it to our table, 3 of the 8 seats were being taken up by what I assumed were scientists we haven't met yet. The three scientists stood up at our presence as Dr Hosterman introduced us to them. "Valerie, Parker. This is Dr Cameron." We shook hands with a woman with pale skin and bleached blonde hair. "This is Dr Bragg." We shook hands with a tall man with dark hair and glasses. "And this is Dr Rocha." The last woman had wavy brunette hair and a friendly smile. "Doctors, these two are Valerie Wishart and Parker Rooney, the two high school students who won Mars Madness in California and are staying in the Mars BioDome this year."

Dr Rocha was the first to speak to us. "We are glad that you two are here, especially you Valerie. We need more women in the field."

"Yeah, because there are so few of them right here," Dr Bragg said sarcastically, making the rest of the table laugh. I looked around and saw that a good number of the scientists in the room were women, at least 4 of them sitting at my table.

"Well, I'm excited to start, especially since Parker is with me. He's my boyfriend." I gestured to him.

Dr Cameron put a hand to her heart and let out an 'awww' at that. "That is so cute. I love it when couples are in the same field."

Dr Hosterman nodded her head. "I agree. In fact, my husband works here along with me. He will be here tonight so you two can meet him." She gestured to the empty seat next to Dr Cameron. She had this far away look in her eyes that I could recognize every time I think of Parker. "He's the sweetest guy I know and he's Scottish!"

Parker's eyebrows shot up. "Scottish?! That's cool."

"I know! He's amazing." She sighed dreamily. After a while she got out of her daze and brought back to reality. "Enough about me. Tonight, it's about Valerie and Parker. Why don't you two sit down here," she gestured to two empty chairs next to Dr Rocha, "and I'll give you two something to drink. Is water okay?" We both nodded. "Perfect. I'll be right back and you guys can talk amongst yourselves. Okay? Okay." Then she left towards the back of the room.

The five of us all sat around the table with an awkward silence. Dr Bragg seemed to be cleaning his glasses with a cloth, Dr Cameron was checking her nails, Dr Rocha was writing something in a notebook, and Parker was fixing the collar of his shirt. I was smoothing out the creases of my dress. It felt weird being in a room for of successful adult scientists, while Parker and I were still in high school. I guess I felt a bit out of place being so young and so far away from home.

"So Val," I looked up to see Dr Cameron looking at me. "How did you and Parker meet?" Parker looked up too and we exchanged glances.

"It's actually a funny story, actually…."

 _Flashback_

 _Finch and I were going over last minute changes on our laser that we had to turn in for the Laser Fair. We look up to see someone speaking. "Whoa. Sweet laser. What's it for?"_

 _I chuckled in response. This guy must be new to BOOMS, as I've never seen him before. He actually looked kinda cute. "You must be new. It's for the Laser Fair."_

 _Finch added on "Not to be confused with the Laser Circus, which is next week, and the Laser Pride Festival, which is at the end of February." I only nodded in response, smiling at my friend. He always knew how to back me up. The new kid gave a face that looked like a grumpy, old man._

 _"Looks like it's about, what, 1200 nanometers?" he asked. I scoffed. This guy obviously didn't know his lasers so I corrected him._

 _"It's 1400 nanometers, new kid." I glanced at Finch, rolling my eyes at the new kid. "What would I do with 1200, toast bagels?"_

 _Finch obviously thought it was funny, for some reason. "Bagels. Good one, Val." He held up his hand. "Up top." He's always been pretty weird but he's one of my only friends at BOOMS so I live with it._

 _"Stop being weird, Finch." I tried whispering to him, averting my eyes from him. I took a breath before turning to him. "High fives are for jocks, cartoon dogs, and people who want the flu." I then turned to the new kid. "I won the Laser Fair last year and I'm gonna win this year."_

 _"Challenge accepted!" Both Finch and I looked at the new kid weirdly. That was definitely not what I was expecting. He lowered his finger. "That...that...that...that was something that I...that I used to say at my old school." Finch and I exchanged glances. This was turning out to be a weird day. "You know what? Never mind." Then the bell rang. Talk about saved by the bell._

 _End Flashback_

Our table was laughing so much that Dr Bragg had to take his glasses off and wiped a few tears from his eyes. Dr Rocha nearly choked on the drink she had just taken a sip out of. Dr Cameron was trying to conceal her laugh by covering her mouth with her hand. Dr Hosterman had just come back from getting our waters and looked at us funny, as she saw a table of laughing scientists, a scene that's not too common in the science world. She placed our waters in front of us, Parker and I thanked her, in between chuckles.

She sat down and asked, "What did I miss?"

Dr Rocha was the first to pause laughing, wiping her eyes in the process. "Oh, Val was just telling us how she and Parker met." Dr Hosterman lifted an eyebrow.

"Oh? Would you two mind telling me, since you got Dr Cameron, Dr Bragg, and Dr Rocha laughing?" Parker and I nodded our heads, still giggling.

"Certainly. You see…"

By the time Parker finished the story, Dr Hosterman was laughing as well. We were a table of laughing scientists that we were oblivious to the weird looks we got from nearby tables. This was going to end up being a great year!

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 _To keep this story alive and going, I need to know what happens next! Give me your ideas! I might include it in the story!_


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